...and my Arceus. That was NOT how you handle a hostage situation.

[s]If Payday taught me anything, I'd have to force one of the four people into bleedout, maybe Dallas since he seems to be the leader. Bleeding out would allow me to take him into custody, then force a hostage trade. And then I'd have to get... preferably Chains to make sure he doesn't point a Bronco or Reinback at me. If I didn't take Dallas out first his Brenner would definitely put a hole (wrong; several holes) in me. I'd have to move quickly to avoid gunfire from Wolf's sentry and Hoxton's rifle, yet carefully to avoid his trip mines. Bain would obviously inform them that a Magnemite just entered the area, capable of tasering one of them... which would lead to the same result as forcing one of them into bleedout. Hm... they'll attempt to rush out soon with some loot they may have found. I'd have to act quickly.

I need to get the Bulldozer to keep them busy, a Shield to block the Taser (me), and then a few Snipers positioned outside. I'd get some officers and SWATs to rush in, letting the Cloakers and Heavy SWATs to come in from behind... that'll screw with them. Badly. Heck, I'll be able to rescue everyone and shoot all the bad guys.[/s] This, is how you handle a hostage situation. Or at least a general idea of how to handle one. [s]Cue the Panic Room theme song...[/s]

1. Enter the premises slowly, alerting the kidnappers as suddenly entering the area can lead to casualties: "Hello? My idiot of a friend decided to rush in."

"Huh? Who're you? Come on out and we won't have to twist your arm around." So, complying with his instructions, I simply followed the same path as "Urgh! What the Hell's wrong with you? You've got like this... weird... and these two slashes on you." At that point, I shuddered slightly. I had to keep my head cool.

"Those are scars no bloody crime gave to me in one day. You scared of a little wound? I got three of 'em, and so far I'm actually looking for more working for the big man."

"That ain't a scar... and it shouldn't be one anyway." One of the weaker thugs (Zubat) responded, visibly shaken and trying to back away. The Skuntank just stared at me, unfazed and being rather... unsettling. Thanking, looking over at the Koffing provided relief, since he too was frightened.

"Jerry, shut it!" The Skuntank was trying to put them all in line. Presumably to scare me into being a hostage... well, I wouldn't back down lightly, if at all.

"Yeah, yeah. Speak for yourself." I responded to 'Jerry's' comment, putting my magnets... actually, lowering my magnets downwards. I wasn't considered a threat at this point. I appreciated the lack of sunlight, and even thought about joining the life of crime just so I wouldn't be blinded everyday.

...

WHAT?! NO COMMERCIAL BREAKS?! DAMN IT!

2. Broker a deal. See if you can let out your team mate first. Team mates help in freeing hostages later, depending on the deadline before their death. Both the hostage and your team mates. Try to intimidate them or anything, but you're not supposed to be hostile... yet. "You know, I didn't actually expect my colleague to just go in and say 'here's a few Pokes, now release my hostage!' Ironically, I was- no, I [i]AM[/i] going to do the same thing, albeit with [i]REAL[/i] Pokes." I raised the ring of Pokes, letting it hover above me like a halo. I could see the glitter in the Skuntank's eye, but he let that go immediately. "You understand that, Pine? Can't always follow protocol." I said, glaring at 'Pine' (Spruce) in an attempt to hide his identity. That, and I was going to point out using a withered bag to show signs of Pokes wasn't a good idea. But, I just realised he was asleep.

"Oh you can't be serious. You think that little ring of real Pokes gonna cover your friend? No. So here's what I'm gonna do... I'm gonna let her go, but I'm gonna keep this one. Just because I'll get more money out of a..." And then, the Skuntank - still talking - crept up to Spruce, and pulled his badge from underneath him. "...guild member." He whispered loudly, pronouncing the word guild as 'gold'. The Skuntank turned his disturbing face towards me, his showing his teeth at me through smiling. I didn't give a response, just lowering my eyelid. "You gonna trade, or do I have to take you hostage too?" He said, with the face of a sadist... this wouldn't end well.

3. ...

Let's go Payday on those sons-of- "I have a counter-offer. Let both of them go, but I stay here. I've got a lifetime of experience that outlasts the three of you. And we Magnemites live for quite a long time."

The Skuntank lost his moment, looking at his enforcer Koffing and his thief Zubat. He stared me down. "Very well. You've got a deal, Magnet. Quickly skip over here, and... we'll let them go."

Damn it. I knew there was a trap going on. Spruce was knocked out cold, and the hostage was trying to scream through her blocked mouth. No one could back me up. Interesting fact: did you know if you knocked someone out cold by the head, and they didn't respond to outside stimuli for more than five minutes, they're more than likely to have a brain hemorrhage? I couldn't back down, otherwise they'd realise my 'weakness' and exploit it. Meaning, they'd try to kill me either way. "Ah. I'm afraid I can't do that. You'll do the same to me as you did to my colleague, and you'll just continue your crime spree... the risk will only get bigger." I had to act.

This, is step 3. And you better take this to heart: [b]PRESS [/b][[b]F[/b]][b] TO START THE HEIST[/b]

"So will the stakes. We only care about the stakes. Are you going to come over yet?" The Skuntank started to walk towards me, with the others in tow. "C'mon, don't be shy..."

"I'm not shy. I'm gonna fry your ass." Immediately, the Skuntank pointed it's rear at me. As promised, I whipped my magnet at the Skuntank, shocking him right in there as I chuckled at the sudden appearance of a blue lightning bolt. Oh man, those volts will really give him a scar like mine... and no one will even notice it unless they happened to be behind him. I knew I had gave him the fright of his life, striking him quicker than a monorail train while his thugs avoided the resulting electricity in the air.

And I set his ass on fire. Whether I lit his flatulence or I burnt his fur, I didn't want to know either way. I dived behind a crate quickly through my Agility move, although I let some Pokes rattle against the boxes and floor. I was as if eager to await an explosion that would follow from burning more gas. Eh, I knew it wouldn't, but I was definitely using this for cover against the shocked Zubat and angry Koffing. God knows what they'd do next.